I took several images from the this spot but no matter how much I tried, the obvious composition was the best. I made several other images but the one that takes your breath away when you first see it could not be improved on. At least I had the good sense to wait for dusk to make the shot for it was the blues and faint yellows that make the image and you only see it after the sun goes down. I was looking for a mood that these forms can take. Incidentally, there was a guy that would show up with a drone who tried hard to kill the mood.
Hope you like it. Let me know what you think. I suppose I could try to add a bit of canvas above those buttes by extending the canvas. Do you think it needs it? If you do that than the impact of the lower area lessens because it becomes proportionally smaller.
Hi Igor. it is a beautiful image. The colors are really fantastic and the different color on the mesa makes it really stand out. I hear what you are saying about the comp, Iād be curious what a bit more space on top would look like? My brain wants just a little more sky.
This is a very beatiful image. The color scheme is just amazing, so to wait for the evening was worth it. I have no problem with the present crop, on the contrary it helps to keep a good balance between the visual interest of the different parts of the image.
I think the blues and the warm tans are really working well here. Iām not so sure you need to extend the frame at the top. Itās the beautiful formations in the foreground leading to the buttes that really make this sing. The composition is strong with the leading line coming out of the LRC and leading the eye well into the scene. You are right about waiting till the sun sets. You have very soft coloration tending towards blue here because of that. Even still, you have very nice, warm light on the tops of the buttes.
When zoomed in at the very top of the frame right above the far distant buttes it looks like there are some blue ghosting going on there. Easy to fix. Wonderful scene.
Hey Igor,
This is a pretty classic locationā¦ and I think youāre right that this is probably one of the better comps of it. I think the magic of this spot is those buttes catch early light and with some nice clouds it can be a very stunning image. I think to improve your version, youād want to emphasize some of those deep shadows in the canyon a bit more, and it would be nice to see a bit more color contrast. Iām also not quite sure whatās going on with the upper part of the frame, but something is up worth looking at?
Great shot! Those Fujis really produce some amazing files. I agree with the previous comment that a little more space over the top of the butte might help the composition. Otherwise, love this.
Good catch. Even after you point out the problem I had a hard time finding it. Either the quick selection tool or I was sloppy in the selection. The selection mask was inaccurate and I propagated it into all the layers so it affected several changes. Iām just going to replace the original with the modified version because this is just a photoshop error and shouldnāt really be a version.
I tried extending the frame a bit higher than the butte and compositionally it helped but the content-aware fill did some funky stuff which most people wouldnāt notice but I suspect Matt Payneās eagle eyes would see the unnatural repetition.
Regarding what I said that the place ātakes your breath awayā. It did much more than that. I felt weak in the knees just getting close to the ledge. I must have some degree of vertigo because I was terrified. I thought of the scene in Vertigo where Jimmy Stewart tries to prove heās cured by getting up on a foot stool:
Look, no problem.
I look up. I look down.
I look up. I look down.
I look up. I, I ā¦
When I revisited that spot back in May, I went out there for some night photography in the dark and sat on the edge for awhile. That was certainly a little un-nerving for sure, but I kind of love that feeling for some reason.
I really like all of the details here, especially all of the fine black lines and I also really like the subtle colour. In regards to the top of the image I think that I wouldnāt mind a little more space there.
Igor, you have done it again. So much beauty in this photo. The blues are very intense and wonderful. When I enlarge the image I can really see the lines on the sides of the cliffs. They look like little trees. Like @Matt_Payne, I can imagine myself sitting on a ledge and gazing at this scene for a long time. I traveled through the badlands a few times many years ago and I can still see them pictured in my head. I agree with others, that a little more head room would keep the peaks from being so close to the edge of the top, but still stunning as is.
Stunning capture with perfect light, but the top feels too crowded for me. It seems like a good case to shoot a second frame with the camera aimed up just a little and combine the two in PS. I donāt know the scene, but I wish for a little more room on the right, too, if that was possible without distractions.
This really is stunning Igor, and Iāll second the kudos on waiting for that light; we too often forget to do that.
With the clarification that crop suggestions can be alternative, not meant to be taken as ābetter,ā my favorite part of the image is the lower right third and it looks like a long lens could pick out some nice abstracts there.
This is not a crop but an actual vertical I took of the area you liked. Do you like this more? It may need some tidying. It has a more indigo blue look to it. I have still other versions of this area looking from different perspectives.
Well, now I have to reconsider what I said. I was thinking of snippets without the distant buttes and hadnāt considered this. As I noted, I was seeing alternative (and very different) pictures and not necessarily better or worse than your original.
However, now that I see this I have to say I REALLY like this take. It focuses on the most attractive part of the scene for me. It has such strong interplay between the shadow/light and color variations. The way the lines take off in different directions, but yet the overall weave leads back to those wonderful buttes is really attractive for me. I find the left side of your horizontal image to be slightly incongruent with the right, and this really takes away that tension.
Iād say play with the tidying and post this as a separate image. Iād be very interested to see what others think.
I was braver with this one and stood closer to the edge. I remember being terrified but there were such good patterns at the bottom that I forced myself to the abyss.
The fears are well-placed. For those of us that really get into the Zen of photographing, there is a very real risk of losing sense of place and making a dangerous/fatal mistake. I have to forcefully pay attention to more than the camera when I am in those situations (usually at the Oregon coast for me).
Igor, the vertical version really shines for me. It feels compressed (optically) and the elements seem stacked up, making for an engaging, mesmerizing image. My eye wanders all over the view. Terrific image, with very compelling color.
Been contemplating my comments and hesitated cause there is just so much to say! Iāll get my fear of heights and the Hitchcock reference out of the way first. Thank you so much for posting the link to the āVertigoā clip. I too have a terrible fear of heights and falling. In fact, I have a very hard time driving southbound on Highway 1 in most sectionsā¦ And then just a bit ago a saw a FB post from this very location - only the image included the foreground ledgeā¦ and so I have a better reference to your experience (Iāve never been.)
Ok, to the image. A grand, if not epic landscape. I love the measured/restrained colors - they are beautiful. I can only imagine the landscape colors transforming after the sun goes down - and during the blue hour. Gorgeous.
Iām so glad you posted the vertical interpretation. And you know what, my pending comment on the tight upper frame in the horizontal, goes away with the vertical version. But in your original, and to each our own, my very first impression was, ādang, itās so tight up top!ā - Thenā¦ I explored what was meant to be explored. Thatās not to say that itās an issue per se. A thought I came up with is this analogy. If I were judging for a gallery selection and I had only 1 spots left and had to choose between 2 gorgeous and impactful landscapesā¦ I would end up having to pick the one that didnāt give me any pause - and the bluffs just off the edge of the frame would be my reason.
Interesting though, and more likely because the vertical version has a much shorter horizon up top (and it appears a skosh more physical room up top,) The space up top is not an issue. And this version is just as gorgeous.
Ok, enough verbiage. No doubt this would be a lifetime experience for me if I were to ever get there.
